Mil Mi-26

Details

Country of Origin

Russia

Type

Ultra heavy lift utility helicopter

History

Mil's Mi-26 is the largest helicopter in the world by a significant margin, with a maximum takeoff weight greater than that of the Fokker F-100, more than twice that of the Boeing Chinook and an internal freight hold close in size to that in the L-100 Hercules.
Development of the Mi-26 began in the early 1970s and resulted in a first flight on December 14 1977. Although mainly in military use, the original design requirement stated that the helicopter would be for civil use, and that it should have a maximum takeoff weight one and a half times that of any previous helicopter. Pre-production machines were built from 1980, production machines sometime after that. The first Mi-26s are understood to have become operational with the Soviet military during 1983.
The Mi-26 is notable for its eight blade main rotor, powerful 7457kW (10,000shp) D-136 turboshaft engines and massive size, and several civil versions have been developed or proposed. These include the basic freighter Mi-26T, Mi-26A with automated approach and descent avionics, Mi-26MS medevac version, Mi-26P 63 passenger airliner, Mi-26TM flying crane with undernose gondola to allow supervision of sling operations, and Mi-26TZ fuel tanker.
The improved Mi-26M is under development and features new 10,700kW (14,350shp) class ZMKB Progress D127 turboshafts, better hot and high performance, increased maximum payload, composite main rotor blades, improved aerodynamics and EFIS flightdeck.
The Mi-26 has been exported to several countries, mostly for military service. They were delivered to the Air Forces of e.g. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Peru, India, Cambodia, and Mexico.